United States History

"Resolve to be honest at all events," attorney Abraham Lincoln once declared in a lecture on the legal profession. "And, if in your own judgment you cannot be an honest lawyer, resolve to be honest without being a lawyer. Choose some other occupation." By keeping faith with this maxim, both as a lawyer and as president of the United States, Lincoln earned for himself the sobriquet of Honest Abe.

Is the presidency shrinking? Even as Bill Clinton struggles to revive his own presidency, the controversies swirling around his White House are causing concern that his successors will inherit an office with diminished authority, adding to the institutional damage done since the Watergate scandal a quarter of a century ago.

The war between the states was perhaps the most wrenching event in American history, a crucial turning point for a new nation nurturing democracy. Civil War reenactment groups painstakingly bring the soldiers' sacrifices to life through staged battles, realistic encampments and authentic uniforms. "People can smell the sulfur, hear the noise, see what's happening and taste my cooking," said Dale Jacobs, president of the Tarzana Chamber of Commerce, who portrays a company cook in Maj. Gen.

The U.S. military used nerve gas on a mission to kill Americans who defected during the Vietnam War, CNN and Time magazine said Sunday in a joint report. The so-called Operation Tailwind was approved by the Nixon White House as well as the CIA, the report said, quoting as its main source retired Adm. Thomas Moorer, a Vietnam-era chief of naval operations and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Though the sound of gunfire and the roar of the cannons ceased more than 133 years ago, interest in the Civil War has never quieted down. In fact, the story of the tragic conflict between the states seems more popular than ever this decade, thanks to Ken Burns' landmark PBS documentary "The Civil War," the acclaimed feature "Gettysburg," which was based on Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Killer Angels," and cable documentary series such as A&E's "Civil War Journal."

Led by a sturdy tugboat and tailed by a flotilla of sailboats, the hulking battleship Missouri took a last, stately waltz in the waters of Waikiki on Sunday before heading to its retirement home at Pearl Harbor. Residents and tourists lined up along the beach promenade to get a glimpse of the "Mighty Mo" on the open sea for the final time in its half-century career. As the 887-foot behemoth rounded Diamond Head and came into view, some onlookers broke into applause.

The secret network of churches, back roads, caves and other sites that made up the Underground Railroad, which helped slaves to freedom, would be preserved and linked under a bill approved Tuesday by the House. "This legislation can really foster a sense of racial harmony," said Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who sponsored the bill with Rep. Louis Stokes (D-Ohio). Stokes described the Civil War era network as a "dramatic protest against slavery" worth preserving.

In an echo of the Watergate affair, President Clinton and his legal advisors are considering invoking the doctrine of executive privilege to shield two of his close aides from testifying fully before a grand jury. In subpoenaing presidential advisors John D. Podesta and Bruce R. Lindsey, independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr would like insight into the discussions of the innermost presidential circle planning the White House response to the allegations that Clinton had an affair with Monica S.

As two U.S. aircraft carriers loitered in the Persian Gulf, awaiting orders to strike Iraq, visitors to the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum were asked to "Remember the Maine" and the United States' debut 100 years ago as a global power. "We've come full circle in 100 years," said curator Jerry Roberts. "That also was a tiny war of global proportions." It was on Feb. 15, 1898, that the battleship Maine blew up in Havana harbor, triggering the Spanish-American War.

George Washington stares down from the famous Gilbert Stuart painting in the San Marino gallery. Weary-looking at 63 years old and pursing his lips over ill-fitting but, no, not wooden, false teeth, he has been frozen over two centuries as the austere father of his country. This is also the white-haired Washington seen on the dollar bill. This is the Washington whose image is parodied to sell mattresses and refrigerators during today's celebrations of his 266th birthday.